Self to Self: Selected Essays

Self to Self brings together essays on personal identity, autonomy, and moral emotions by the distinguished philosopher J. David Velleman. Although each of the essays was written as an independent piece, they are unified by an overarching thesis, that there is no single entity denoted by ‘the self’, as well as by themes from Kantian ethics, psychoanalytic theory, social psychology, and Velleman’s work in the philosophy of action. Two of the essays were selected by the editors of Philosophers’ Annual as being among the ten best papers in their year of publication. Aimed primarily at professional philosophers and advanced students, Self to Self will also be of interest to psychologists and others who theorize about the self.

• Three previously unpublished papers • Two papers judged to be among the 10 best in their year of publication • Material on psychoanalytic theory and social psychology, in addition to philosophy

1. Introduction; 2. A brief introduction to Kantian ethics; 3. The genesis of shame; 4. Love as moral emotion; 5. The voice of conscience; 6. A rational superego; 7. Don’t worry, feel guilty; 8. Self to self; 9. The self as narrator; 10. From self psychology to moral philosophy; 11. The centered self; 12. Willing the law; 13. Motivation by ideal; 14. Identification and identity.